Method and system for automated toolpath generation

ABSTRACT

A method for facilitating part fabrication, such as by automated toolpath generation, can include one or more of: receiving a virtual part; modifying the virtual part; and/or determining toolpaths to fabricate the target part. The toolpaths preferably define an ordered series of additive and subtractive toolpaths, more preferably wherein the additive and subtractive toolpaths are interleaved, which can function to achieve high manufacturing efficiency and/or performance. The method can additionally or alternatively include: generating machine instructions based on the toolpaths; fabricating the target part based on the machine instructions; calibrating the fabrication system; and/or any other suitable elements.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of prior U.S. application Ser. No.16/417,279, filed on 20 May 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/675,073, filed on 22 May 2018, bothof which are incorporated in their entireties by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the part fabrication field, and morespecifically to a new and useful method and system for automatedtoolpath generation in the part fabrication field.

BACKGROUND

Determination of toolpaths for part fabrication, especially fabricationby combined additive and subtractive fabrication techniques, can be acomplex and/or time-consuming task. Further, such toolpaths may resultin fabrication inefficiencies, such as time and/or materialinefficiencies. Thus, there is a need in the part fabrication field tocreate a new and useful method and system for automated toolpathgeneration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of the method.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart representation of an embodiment of determiningtoolpaths.

FIGS. 3A-3B depict top views of a planar and non-planar subtractivetoolpath, respectively, for an interior surface.

FIG. 4 depicts a side view of a first embodiment of vertical surfacefabrication.

FIGS. 5A-5C depict side views of a second embodiment of vertical surfacefabrication, before, during, and after performance of a subtractivefabrication window, respectively.

FIG. 6A depicts a side view of an example of a target part.

FIGS. 6B-6C depict an example fabrication plan associated with theexample of the target part.

FIG. 7A depicts a cross-sectional view, normal to a part orientationvector, of a target part.

FIG. 7B depicts a detail region of the cross-sectional view of thetarget part of FIG. 7A, superimposed on a dilated part and adilated-and-eroded part.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiments of the inventionis not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments,but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use thisinvention.

1. Overview

A method 10 for facilitating part fabrication (e.g., via automatedtoolpath generation) preferably includes (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1):receiving a virtual part S100; modifying the virtual part S200; anddetermining toolpaths to fabricate the target part S300. The method 10can additionally or alternatively include: generating machineinstructions based on the toolpaths S400; fabricating the target partbased on the machine instructions S500; calibrating the fabricationsystem S600; and/or any other suitable elements.

The method 10 is preferably performed using a system 20 for automatedtoolpath generation and/or part fabrication. The system 20 preferablyincludes a computing system and/or a fabrication system, and canadditionally or alternatively include any other suitable elements.

However, the method 10 can additionally or alternatively be performedusing any other suitable system(s), and the system 20 can additionallyor alternatively be used to perform any other suitable method(s).

2. Benefits

Embodiments of the method 10 and/or system 20 can confer a number ofbenefits. First, the method 10 and/or system 20 can function to achieveimproved fabrication performance and/or efficiency (e.g., time and/ormaterial efficiency). For example, in embodiments in which minimaladditional material is deposited beyond the target part dimensions,material waste is reduced, and most subtractive fabrication timecontributes directly to part finish, rather than rough material removal.Fewer cutting tools may be required, which can reduce tool change timeduring fabrication. Further (e.g., due to the application of subtractivefabrication techniques to green bodies rather than sintered materials orunitary metals), fast, high-quality material removal can be achieved,even using small cutting tools (e.g., endmills with diameters such as0.010-0.050″).

Second, embodiments of the method 10 and/or system 20 can enable anautomated or semi-automated workflow. For example, input files (e.g.,virtual parts) may not require human pre-processing, and no specialskills or training (e.g., specific to the combined additive andsubtraction techniques of the system) may be required. In some examples,no human intervention is required during performance of the method 10(e.g., after receiving the virtual part S100, method elements such asall or any of S200-S600 can be performed autonomously). However, themethod 10 and/or system 20 can additionally or alternatively confer anyother suitable benefits.

3. System

The system 20 preferably includes a fabrication system (e.g., asdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/705,548, entitled“System and Method for Additive Metal Manufacturing” and filed 15 Sep.2017, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by this reference),more preferably a system configured to perform both additive andsubtractive fabrication tasks. The fabrication system preferablyincludes one or more: deposition mechanisms (e.g., including a printmaterial dispenser, such as a needle or other nozzle), material removalmechanisms, and movement mechanisms, and can additionally oralternatively include any other suitable elements.

The fabrication system (e.g., the deposition mechanism) is preferablyoperable to fabricate metal parts by depositing precursor material suchas a paste (e.g., as described is U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/594,472, entitled “Sinterable Metal Paste for use in AdditiveManufacturing” and filed 12 May 2017), preferably a binderless pastethat forms a high-density green body. However, the deposition mechanismand/or other elements of the fabrication system can additionally oralternatively be operable to fabricate parts (e.g., metal parts) in anyother suitable manner.

The material removal mechanism preferably includes one or more millingtools, and is preferably configured to automatically change betweendifferent milling tools (e.g., using an automatic tool changer). Themilling tools can include, for example, end mills (e.g., square,radiused, ball, spherical, keyseat cutters, chamfering, etc.), flycutters, facing tools, and/or any other suitable milling tools.

The movement mechanisms (e.g., translation mechanisms such as linearactuators, rotation mechanisms such as rotary actuators, etc.) arepreferably mechanisms configured to reposition the manufactured part(e.g., during fabrication) relative to the deposition and/or materialremoval mechanisms (e.g., by moving the part, such as by moving a stageon which the part is supported and/or to which the part is affixed; bymoving the deposition and/or material removal mechanisms; etc.). Motionof the movement mechanisms is preferably controlled electronically(e.g., CNC movement mechanisms) but can additionally or alternatively becontrolled in any other suitable manner.

The system 20 preferably includes one or more computing systems (e.g.,configured to communicate with and/or control operation of thefabrication systems, etc.). The computing systems can include computingdevices integrated with (e.g., embedded in, directly connected to, etc.)the fabrication system(s), user devices (e.g., smart phone, tablet,laptop and/or desktop computer, etc.), remote servers (e.g.,internet-connected servers, such as those hosted by a toolpathgeneration service provider and/or fabrication system manufacturer),and/or any other suitable computing systems.

However, the system 20 can additionally or alternatively include anyother suitable elements in any suitable arrangement.

4. Method 4.1 Receiving a Virtual Part

Receiving a virtual part S100 preferably functions to determineparameters of the part to be fabricated (e.g., for which fabricationtoolpaths should be generated). The virtual part is preferably acomputer representation of a physical object, such as a CAD file (e.g.,file in a format such as STEP, STL, etc.). The virtual part ispreferably received by the computing system. The virtual part can bereceived from another computing system, from a virtual parts database,from a user (e.g., using a CAD application running on the computingsystem), from a set of one or more sensors (e.g., 3D scanning system),and/or from any other suitable entities. However, the virtual part canadditionally or alternatively be received in any other suitable manner.

4.2 Modifying the Virtual Part

Modifying the virtual part S200 preferably functions to adapt thereceived virtual part (the original part) for fabrication. S200 ispreferably performed by the computing system (and/or another computingsystem), and is preferably performed in response to receiving thevirtual part S100, but can additionally or alternatively be performed byany suitable entity or entities with any suitable timing.

S200 optionally includes determining a part orientation. The orientationcan be an orientation associated with the original part or can bedetermined based on fabrication criteria. In a first example, a broadface of the part is selected as a bottom face (e.g., wherein a verticalaxis orientation is defined as normal to the bottom face and/or avertical position is defined as zero at the bottom face), which canfacilitate fixturing and/or adhesion to the fabrication system stage. Ina second example, a concave surface is selected as an upward-facingsurface (e.g., wherein no other portion of the part is above the concavesurface), which can reduce overhanging features, thereby facilitatingsubtractive fabrication processes. However, the orientation can beselected in any suitable manner.

S200 preferably includes compensating for fabricated part shrinkageand/or deformation (e.g., caused by post-fabrication processing, such assintering), thereby generating a target part (e.g., target part to befabricated in S500) based on the original part. For example, theoriginal part can be scaled up (e.g., uniformly, such as by a predefinedfactor; non-uniformly, such as based on shrinkage modeling; etc.) togenerate the target part.

S200 preferably includes expanding features of the part along one ormore dimensions (e.g., width, height, etc.), thereby generating anoversize part, preferably based on the target part, but alternativelybased on the original part and/or any other suitable virtual part. Theoversize part can function as a target for additive fabrication (e.g.,target for fabrication in the absence of any subtractive fabrication).Such expansion can allow for consistent material removal duringsubtractive fabrication (e.g., ensuring good surface finish, reducingand/or eliminating exterior voids, etc.).

Expanding the features can include, for example, expanding each featureof the part in all lateral directions (e.g., all directions normal to alayering axis, such as a vertical axis, all directions contained withina plane, such as an additive slice, etc.) and/or expanding each featureof the part in the vertical direction by a height expansion constant(e.g., predetermined constant, such as 5-75 μm, 5-75% of the depositionlayer thickness, etc.). In some examples, one or more negative partfeatures (e.g., pockets and/or holes, such as small-diameter holes) mayshrink to zero or near-zero size by this expansion; such negativefeatures that would shrink to near-zero size (e.g., defining adimension, such as width or depth, below a threshold value) canoptionally instead by shrunk to zero size (e.g., wherein additionalsubtractive fabrication will be used to achieve the desired feature).

In a first embodiment, this expansion is achieved through one or moredilation operations. A dilation operation results in a dilated shape,defined as the shape that would be formed by tracing a dilation tool(e.g., a circle, sphere, cylinder, etc.) along the exterior surface ofthe original shape (the shape being dilated, such as the target part),wherein the dilated shape is equal to the union of the original shapeand the entire volume traced by the dilation tool. The dilation tool canhave a predetermined size (e.g., diameter), such as 50-750 μm or 5-75%of the deposition road width, can have a dynamically-determined size(e.g., determined based on the part geometry), and/or can have any othersuitable size. In one variation of this embodiment, the dilationoperation(s) are followed by one or more erosion operations, wherein theexterior surfaces of the dilated shape are moved inward by a fixeddistance (preferably by less than the size of the dilation tool, such as10-90% of the dilation tool size), such as shown by way of example inFIGS. 7A-7B. In a second embodiment, this expansion is achieved byexpanding each feature of the part in all lateral directions by a widthexpansion constant (e.g., predetermined constant, such as 50-750 μm,5-75% of the deposition road width, etc.). However, the part canadditionally or alternatively be expanded in any other suitable manner.

S200 can optionally include adding support features to the part(s)(e.g., to the original part, target part, oversize part, etc.). Thesupport features can function to support high aspect ratio and/oroverhanging part features, form molds for part features, and/or provideany other suitable functions. The support features can be determinedbefore determining toolpaths to fabricate the target part S300 (e.g.,performed concurrently with and/or immediately following other aspectsof S200), can be determined concurrent with S300 (e.g., concurrent withS320), and/or can be determined at any other suitable time.

S200 can optionally include identifying regions (e.g., volumes) that canand/or will be modified to reduce their density (e.g., for the purposeof lightweighting the part), such as by dispensing infilled regions atless than 100% infill and/or not filling the regions. Lightweighting canfunction, for example, to speed print time and/or conserve material.Such volumes can be identified manually (e.g., by a user and/ordesigner), such as being specified in the received virtual part, can beautomatically identified (e.g. as a function of allowable distance fromsurface), and/or can be identified in any other suitable manner. Inresponse to identification of such volumes, S200 preferably includesmodifying the virtual part such that all or some of the identifiedvolumes include no infill and/or only partial infill (e.g. 15, 25, 35,45, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85, 0-15, 15-40, 40-60, 60-85, or 85-100% infill,etc.).

The support features preferably correspond to structures to befabricated (e.g., via additive fabrication) using one or more supportmaterials (e.g., as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/705,548, entitled “System and Method for Additive MetalManufacturing” and filed 15 Sep. 2017, which is hereby incorporated inits entirety by this reference) different from the primary material(e.g., material used to fabricate the target part, such as a metalpaste), such as wherein the support material can be removed (e.g., bymelting, dissolution, decomposition, evaporation, mechanical removal,etc.) after fabrication of the structures it supports. However, thesupport features can additionally or alternatively be fabricated usingthe primary material (e.g., wherein the support features are removed bysubtractive fabrication techniques after fabrication of the structuresthey support, wherein the support features are not removed, etc.).

However, S200 can additionally or alternatively include any othersuitable elements performed in any suitable manner.

4.3 Determining Fabrication Toolpaths

Determining toolpaths to fabricate the target part S300 preferablyfunctions to generate efficient toolpaths for the fabrication system.S300 preferably includes determining additive toolpaths S320 anddetermining and interspersing subtractive toolpaths S330 (e.g., as shownin FIG. 2). S300 can optionally include determining setup toolpathsS310, determining and interspersing auxiliary toolpaths S340 and/or anyother suitable elements. S300 is preferably performed after (e.g., inresponse to) S200, but can additionally or alternatively be performed atany other suitable time.

Determining setup toolpaths S310 preferably functions to generatetoolpaths associated with preparing a fabrication system stage (e.g.,bed) for part fabrication. The setup toolpaths can include additivetoolpaths (e.g., depositing primary and/or support material on which thepart can be fabricated, preferably to create a flat horizontal surfacefor deposition; depositing adhesive material to affix the part duringfabrication, etc.), subtractive toolpaths (e.g., facing the stage and/ordeposited material, or a portion thereof, such as to create a flathorizontal surface for deposition), and/or any other suitable toolpaths.Such setup toolpaths can function to compensate for non-planarity and/ormisalignment of the stage, non-linearity and/or other defects (e.g.,leading to a reduction in accuracy of the gantry), and/or any othersuitable aspects of the fabrication system.

Determining additive toolpaths S320 preferably functions to generatematerial deposition toolpaths (e.g., corresponding to the oversizepart). S320 preferably includes determining additive volumes (e.g.,additive slices) and determining additive toolpaths for each volume, andcan additionally or alternatively include determining support materialtoolpaths and/or any other suitable elements.

Determining additive volumes preferably includes slicing the part (e.g.,the oversize part) horizontally, but can additionally or alternativelyinclude slicing the part vertically and/or at an oblique angle (e.g., tothe vertical axis), defining volumes with non-planar boundaries, and/orseparating the part into any other suitable volumes (preferably a set ofvolumes that collectively span the entire part, more preferably beingsubstantially mutually non-overlapping). The volumes are preferablyparallel to each other (e.g., and regularly spaced), but canalternatively have any suitable relative orientations. Each volumepreferably corresponds to a single deposition layer, but canalternatively correspond to multiple deposition layers. The slicespreferably have equal thicknesses (e.g., equal to the deposition layerthickness, preferably accounting for additional material in thedeposited layer that can be removed by subtractive machining, such as anadditional 5-150 μm), but the slice thickness can additionally oralternatively be dynamically determined (e.g., thickness proportional tothe lowest sidewall slope of a slice and/or group of slices, thicknessaltered to compensate for overhang features, etc.). For example, slicethickness (and/or deposition layer thickness) can be reduced for slicesthat include printing overhangs (e.g., wherein one or more roads of thedeposition layer include printing material not entirely supported by thedeposition layer below), which can help achieve greater printingfidelity (e.g., avoiding deformation of printed material due to surfacetension effects, such as movement of printed material away from theoverhanging edge). In specific examples, the deposition layer thicknessand/or slice thickness can be 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85,90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 120, 150, 3-10, 10-30, 30-60, 60-75, 75-100,100-130, and/or 130-200 μm, but can additionally or alternativelyinclude any other suitable thicknesses.

Determining additive toolpaths for each volume (e.g., slice) preferablyfunctions to determine paths (e.g., lateral and/or substantially lateralpaths) for filling the desired areas with adjacent roads of depositedmaterial (e.g., roads of substantially equal width, such as 0.5-2 mmwide).

In one embodiment, the additive toolpaths for a volume include an infillsection that provides coverage for the interior of a feature (e.g.,following a rectilinear pattern such as spiral, boustrophedon, etc.),followed and/or preceded by one or more (e.g., several, such as 2, 3,4-6, etc.) perimeters, typically printed concentrically from the infillsection outward (e.g., following a path associated with the perimeter ofthe feature in the oversize part), that cover the remainder of thefeature. However, this approach may result in one or more detrimentaleffects when the toolpaths are implemented (e.g., detriments to theprinted layer and/or part). For example, portions of the infill mayexhibit higher thickness and/or edge roughness (e.g., as compared withthe majority of the printed material), due to abrupt direction changes(e.g., at corners of the rectilinear pattern, at gaps associated withconcavities of a non-rectangular feature cross-section, etc.).Subsequent perimeter lines may form voids at these rough interfaces,which can result in poor material properties, especially for multipleconsecutive layers that all exhibit such voids in substantially the samelateral position (e.g., at the infill-perimeter junction). Additionallyor alternatively, shrinkage of deposited material, such as due to dryingof a paste or other deposited material (e.g., due to increased materialpacking of the dried material), can reduce dimensional precision of theprinted slice (e.g., especially due to stack-up of shrinkage frommultiple roads, inconsistent shrinkage due to partial drying of some orall deposited material, etc.). Deformation of deposited material (e.g.,undried material), such as due to mechanical forces exerted byadditional material deposited in contact with the material (e.g.,adjacent printed roads of material), can also reduce dimensionalprecision. However, one or more variations of this embodiment can beimplemented, which may alleviate or eliminate such detrimental effects.

In a first variation, one or more subtractive fabrication techniques,such as contouring (e.g., infill sidewall contouring) and/or facing, canbe included between infill and perimeter deposition. Such contouring canprovide a flat surface abutting the perimeter roads, which can reducethe generation of voids at the infill-perimeter junction. Facing in thismanner can enable control of the height of infill turnarounds (e.g.where deposition abruptly changes direction, such as at the edge of adeposited area), which can facilitate perimeter deposition (e.g., byenabling the deposition needle to print a perimeter without hittingraised sections of infill turnarounds).

In a second variation, the position (e.g., relative to the desiredexterior surface) of the infill-perimeter junction can be changed fordifferent slices (e.g., alternating between two different junctionpositions). For example, a first slice can include toolpaths defining aninfill-perimeter junction at a standard location (e.g., including 1, 2,or 3 perimeter roads around the infill, etc.), a second slice (e.g.,adjacent to the first slice) can define a slightly smaller infill region(e.g., including 1-3 extra perimeter roads as compared with the firstslice), a third slice (e.g., adjacent to the second slice) can use thesame junction position as the first slice, a fourth slice (e.g.,adjacent to the third slice) can use the same junction position as thesecond slice, and so on.

In a third variation, some deposited material can be dried, preferablyfully dried or dried such that substantially all shrinkage has occurred(e.g., using auxiliary toolpaths such as described below, waiting untila threshold drying time interval has elapsed, etc.), before depositingadditional (e.g., adjacent and/or contacting) material. For example, anordered series of toolpaths for printing a set of perimeters caninclude: a toolpath for printing an inner perimeter, followed by adrying toolpath (e.g., associated with one or more drying tools, such aslamps and/or fans) for drying the material of the inner perimeter,followed by a toolpath for printing an outer perimeter (e.g., defining aportion of the external surface of the expanded part) that contacts theinner perimeter.

A fourth variation includes use of two or more of the variationsdescribed above, such as: the use of both subtractive fabricationtechniques (e.g., facing and/or infill sidewall contouring) andinfill-perimeter junction position alternation. However, detrimentaleffects can optionally be mitigated in any other suitable manner.

The additive toolpaths can optionally include different depositionparameters, such as deposition parameters determined based on thedeposition detail desired for a particular region of the fabricatedpart. The deposition parameters can include, for example, thenozzle-surface vertical spacing, extrusion ratio (defined as the amountof extruder motion as a function of nozzle-surface travel), and/or anyother suitable parameters. In a first example, a large vertical spacingand fast extrusion speed (e.g., high extrusion ratio) is used to achievehigh liquid velocity (e.g., and commensurately high shear of thedeposited material), which can result in fast settling to the finallayer thickness. These conditions can be used to help avoid nozzlecollisions with previously-deposited material, and are preferably usedfor broader area and/or lower-detail features of the fabricated part. Ina second example, a small vertical spacing and slow extrusion speed isused to achieve low liquid velocity (e.g., and lower shear flow), whichcan reduce slumping and/or settling of the deposited material, therebyenabling additive fabrication of finer features (and thereforepreferably used for such features). However, the additive toolpaths canadditionally or alternatively include any other suitable depositionparameters.

The deposition parameters are preferably changed dynamically throughouteach toolpath, more preferably with each parameter independentlycontrollable at any point along the toolpath (e.g., feed rateautomatically controlled as a function of road length, road angle withrespect to previous and/or next road, whether perimeter or infill iscurrently being deposited, allowable distance error from ideal toolpath,etc.), but can alternatively be fixed within a single (e.g., andalterable between different) additive road, toolpath, slice, and/orfabricated part. In variations in which the deposition parameters arealtered with lower granularity (e.g., fixed for an entire road), theparameters are preferably set to the most conservative values needed toachieve the detail required, but can alternatively be set to lessconservative values (e.g., compromising some finer details to achieve afaster print speed) and/or to any other suitable values.

The additive toolpaths can optionally include height adjustments toachieve the desired needle-workpiece vertical spacing (e.g., to maintainconstant spacing, to control the spacing such as described above, etc.).In some embodiments, tight control over the vertical spacing can beimportant to enable excellent control of the material deposition. Theheight adjustments can be determined, for example, based on calibrationinformation, and are preferably employed to compensate for shiftingheight corresponding to changes in aspects of the fabrication system,such as lateral positions (e.g., of the workpiece and/or depositionmechanism), temperatures, and/or loads. Such height adjustments canadditionally or alternatively be determined during S500 (e.g., asdescribed below in further detail) and/or at any other suitable time.

The additive toolpaths can optionally include (e.g., for small features,such as features defining one or more dimensions smaller than athreshold size) dilating aspects of the feature in the additive toolpath(e.g., to achieve a minimum printed feature size). In such instances,subtractive fabrication techniques (e.g., milling) can be used toachieve the desired feature of the target part. This approach canfunction to reduce fabrication errors associated with deposition of verysmall features. The features on which this approach is employed arepreferably contained within a single window (e.g., additive and/orsubtractive window), but can additionally or alternatively includefeatures that span multiple windows and/or any other suitable features.

The additive toolpaths can optionally include support materialtoolpaths. The support material associated with the toolpaths canfunction to, for example: support subsequently deposited features of thepart, such as high aspect ratio and/or overhanging features; form moldsfor subsequently deposited features; and/or protect previously depositedand/or finished surfaces (e.g., surfaces finished by milling). Thesupport material toolpaths preferably correspond to deposition of asupport material different from the primary material, but canadditionally or alternatively include deposition of the primarymaterial. The support material toolpaths can be followed by the samedeposition mechanism used for part deposition and/or a differentdeposition mechanism.

All or some of S320 (e.g., additive slice determination, additivetoolpath generation, etc.) can optionally be performed using standardfused deposition modeling (FDM) software tools (e.g., Slic3r, Prusa,etc.), modified versions thereof, and/or any other suitable softwaretools. S320 can additionally or alternatively include determining theadditive toolpaths in any other suitable manner.

Determining and interspersing subtractive toolpaths S320 preferablyfunctions to generate subtractive toolpaths for fabricating the targetpart (e.g., from the oversize part or portions thereof, in cooperationwith the additive toolpaths, etc.). The subtractive toolpaths caninclude toolpaths corresponding to internal part surfaces (e.g.,interfaces of the final fabricated part, such as the interface betweentwo adjacent additive layers), external part surfaces (e.g., exposedsurfaces of the final fabricated part), and/or any other suitablesubtractive toolpaths.

Subtractive toolpaths corresponding to internal part surfaces (e.g.,toolpaths touching internal part surfaces, such as surfaces that will beencased inside a part by further additive steps) preferably includefacing toolpaths (e.g., facing of temporary top surfaces, such as theexposed top surfaces of recently-deposited additive layers). Such facingcan function to provide a flat surface for deposition of subsequentadditive layers. These facing toolpaths are preferably fast and/orrough, and preferably employ a large cutting tool (end mill, face mill,other facing tool such as a fly cutter, etc.) relative to othersubtractive toolpaths, such as external surface finishing toolpaths.

The faced surfaces preferably include the current top of the fabricatedpiece, such as the top of the most recently deposited additive slice,but can additionally or alternatively include any other suitablesurfaces. The faced surfaces are preferably substantially horizontal,but can additionally or alternatively include surfaces of any othersuitable orientation.

Every additive layer is preferably faced, but alternatively only asubset of additive layers can be faced (e.g., every set number oflayers, such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-10, etc.; after a threshold depositionthickness, such as 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, or 2 mm, etc.; only whenfacing is required and/or expected to benefit part fabrication, such asin response to determining that the surface planarity, roughness, and/orerror, such as error with respect to a nominal and/or target height, isworse than a threshold value; etc.).

Although referred to as facing toolpaths, a person of skill in the artwill recognize that such toolpaths can additionally or alternativelyinclude non-planar machining of the internal surfaces (e.g., to preparethe surface for subsequent deposition). For example, such non-planarsurfaces can function to compensate for subsequent deposition ofnon-uniform thickness. In one embodiment (e.g., in which the depositionmechanism includes a spray tool with a conical focus and a largedeposition radius), in which the additive toolpaths produce thinnerdeposition near the edge of a layer than in the interior of the layer,the machined internal surface can deviate upward from the plane (e.g.,curve upward from a substantially horizontal plane) near the edge,thereby compensating for the reduced material deposition at the edge(e.g., as shown in FIG. 3B, such as in contrast to FIG. 3A in which aplanar facing toolpath is depicted). This deviation can include a fixeddeviation (e.g., curvature) at each edge, can be determined dynamically(e.g., based on the following additive toolpath, such as by modellingthe expected layer thickness from the toolpath and determining a profileaccordingly, preferably to achieve a substantially flat surface afterprinting), and/or can be determined in any other suitable manner.However, the subtractive toolpaths can additionally or alternativelyinclude toolpaths for machining the internal surfaces in any othersuitable manner.

Subtractive toolpaths corresponding to external part surfaces preferablyinclude finishing toolpaths. Such toolpaths preferably function toefficiently achieve a high quality surface finish in a part with thedesired part dimensions (e.g., corresponding to the target part). Thetoolpaths can additionally or alternatively include roughing toolpaths,but the additive process preferably yields structures (e.g., of theoversize part) that do not require roughing (e.g., for which finishingcan be performed directly on the deposited material, without interveningsubtractive techniques). Determining and interspersing the externalsurface toolpaths (e.g., finishing toolpaths) preferably includes:determining one or more cutting tools; determining subtractive volumes;determining additive and subtractive windows; within each subtractivewindow, grouping potential toolpath segments; for each group, selectinga cutting tool and determining toolpaths; and/or combining thetoolpaths.

Determining one or more cutting tools preferably functions to determinea set of cutting tools that can or will be used to perform thesubtractive toolpaths (e.g., cutting tools available in a fabricationsystem, cutting tools to be considered when determining subtractivetoolpaths, etc.). The cutting tools can include end mills (e.g., square,radiused, ball end, etc.), keyseat cutters, face mills, fly cutters,and/or any other suitable cutting tools, preferably including multiplesizes (e.g., radiuses, lengths, etc.) of cutting tools. However, thecutting tools can additionally or alternatively include any othersuitable tools.

The subtractive volumes (e.g., subtractive slices) are preferablyhorizontal slices and/or slices parallel to the additive slices, but canalternatively include any other suitable slices and/or other volumes(e.g., volumes such as described above regarding S320). The subtractivevolumes can be the same as or different from the additive volumes. Thesubtractive volumes are preferably a set of volumes that collectivelyspan the entire part and/or the entire surface of the part (e.g., of thetarget part, oversize part, etc.). The subtractive volumes can bemutually non-overlapping or substantially mutually non-overlapping, canhave some overlap (e.g., to provide for smooth transitions betweenvolumes, to ensure full coverage of the fabricated part surfaces by thesubtractive toolpaths, etc.). In some embodiments, all or somesubtractive volumes can be interleaved into additive volumes (e.g., byemploying tool avoidance techniques). The subtractive volumes canoptionally be defined based on the cutting tool and/or part geometry(e.g., wherein a subtractive volumes corresponds to a single cuttingtool pass of a waterline contour path), but can additionally oralternatively be determined based on any other suitable information.

Determining additive and subtractive windows preferably functions todetermine groups for continuous additive and subtractive fabrication(e.g., additive windows without intervening subtractive fabrication,subtractive windows without intervening additive fabrication). Thewindows are preferably groups of volumes (e.g., additive volumes foradditive windows, subtractive volumes for subtractive windows), morepreferably adjacent volumes. Determining the windows preferably includesdetermining a window ordering.

The windows (and ordering thereof) are preferably determined based onone or more of the following criteria. First, a cutting tool (e.g., endmill) can preferably reach all surfaces of a subtractive window (e.g.,the surfaces to be milled) without the tool crashing (e.g., into thepartially-fabricated part), preferably determined based on thefabrication progress from all windows preceding the subtractive windowunder consideration. Tool crashes could potentially occur with the topsurfaces, sides, and/or any other portions of the part. While machininghigh-angle regions (e.g., vertical and/or near-vertical side-walls,features beneath overhangs, etc.), small subtractive windows may beselected, undercutting tools (e.g., undercut end mills such as ball endmills, keyseat cutters, etc.) may be used for subtractive milling withinthe window, and/or any other suitable precautions may be employed (e.g.,to avoid tool crashes).

Second, subsequent additive and subtractive windows preferably do notdamage portions of the part (e.g., surfaces) that have already beenfinished. For example, as described above, additive layers arepreferably printed with material greater than the target part (e.g.,corresponding to the oversize part), which enables subsequentsubtractive fabrication to achieve a high-quality surface finish withthe target part dimensions. However, material printed on top of (e.g.,and overhanging) a surface that has already been finished may dripand/or collapse onto the finished surface, thereby damaging it. Thus,the windows and ordering thereof are preferably determined to avoid suchdamage.

In a first variation, a subtractive window in which a set of surfacesare finished is preferably not scheduled before an additive window thatincludes printing onto (and/or adjacent to, such as close enough thatprinted material may spread onto) any of the surfaces of the set (e.g.,thereby avoiding printing onto finished surfaces). In one example (e.g.,in which the target part includes a tall vertical or near-verticalsurface, such as a surface taller than the cutting region length of thelongest cutting tool available for use finishing the surface), thesurface can be fabricated over a series of alternating additive andsubtractive windows, including (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4): in a firstadditive window, depositing a first set of layers; in a firstsubtractive window, using an undercutting tool to finish the verticalsurface portion of the first set of layers, except for a top portion(e.g., the top layer or layers, a top fraction of the top layer, etc.);in a second additive window, depositing a second set of layers on top ofthe top portion (e.g., wherein the layers are deposited onto theunfinished surface, but not onto the finished surface below); in asecond subtractive window, using an undercutting tool (e.g., the sameundercutting tool, a different tool, etc.) to finish the verticalsurface portion of the second set of layers (along with the unfinishedportion of the first set of layers); and so on, until a finalsubtractive window, in which the entire remaining unfinished verticalsurface is preferably finished (e.g., using a standard, non-undercuttingtool; using the undercutting tool; etc.).

In a second variation, overhang control is preferably employed foradditive fabrication onto and/or adjacent to finished surfaces. Toachieve such control when depositing overhanging layers ontoalready-finished surfaces, each subsequent layer within the additivewindow can overfill (e.g., overhang the finished surface, exceed thetarget part dimensions, etc.) by an increasing amount (e.g., up to amaximum overfill), thereby creating a controlled overhang above thefinished surface. In one example (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C), thefirst deposited layer of the additive window can overhang by a firstamount (e.g., less than the amount dictated by the oversize part butgreater than that dictated by the target part), such as 10-25, 10-50, or10-100 μm, and all subsequent deposited layers of the additive windowcan overhang by a second amount (e.g., as dictated by the oversizepart), such as 25-50, 25-100 or 25-150 μm. In this example, all theoverhanging layers can then be finished in a single subtractive window,and additional overhanging layers can then be deposited on top of them(e.g., using overhang control, such as described in this example) andsubsequently finished. Additionally or alternatively, printing velocitycan be reduced when depositing onto and/or adjacent to the finishedsurfaces, which can reduce the risk of deposited material spreading ontoand/or damaging the finished surfaces. However, damage to finishedsurfaces can additionally or alternatively be mitigated and/or preventedin any other suitable manner.

Third, the additive windows are preferably as large as possible (e.g.,the most slices possible, the greatest height possible, etc.) withoutviolating the first and second criteria. However, the additive and/orsubtractive windows and their ordering can additionally or alternativelybe determined in any other suitable manner.

Within each subtractive window, the potential toolpath segments (e.g., asingle tool pass along a surface, a single surface portion of a volume,etc.) are preferably grouped by surface. This grouping preferablyfunctions to determine toolpath groups (e.g., which can optionally betreated as indivisible units for subsequent toolpath determination).Each potential toolpath segment does not necessarily correspond to asegment of a real toolpath, but can additionally or alternatively referto any suitable portion of one or more surfaces.

In some embodiments, the subtractive volumes and/or windows can bedetermined based on such surfaces (e.g., based on the shape, size,location, and/or any other suitable characteristics of the surfaces). Inone such embodiment, the part to be fabricated defines multiple surfaces(and/or surface features) at overlapping (e.g., staggered) heights(e.g., along a part orientation vector defined normal to a horizontalplane, normal to a support and/or deposition plane of the part, etc.),such as shown by way of example in FIG. 6A. For such a part, if thesubtractive volumes and/or windows were defined by parallel planarslices (e.g., horizontal slices), they would either separate one or moresuch surfaces across multiple volumes (which may be detrimental for partfabrication quality, subtractive machining efficiency, etc.), or asingle subtractive volume would encompass all the surfaces ofoverlapping heights (which may not be feasible, may not enable ahigh-efficiency set of toolpaths, etc.). In contrast, by definingsubtractive volumes and/or windows using non-parallel and/or non-planarboundaries, the surfaces can be each contained within single volumesand/or windows of a feasible size (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6C). Thus,subtractive machining for each surface (or a subset thereof) can beperformed in a single window associated with the surface. Preferably,the toolpaths determined in this manner result in, for each featureassociated with (e.g., defining) one of these surfaces, depositing theentire feature (via the additive toolpaths) before machining the surfaceassociated with the feature (via the subtractive toolpaths), such asshown by way of example in FIGS. 6B-6C.

Determining the toolpath groups preferably includes classifying thepotential toolpath segments by surface type. Such surface types caninclude, for example: surfaces indicated (e.g., in the received virtualpart) as unimportant (e.g., surfaces for which poor tolerances and/orsurface finish are acceptable); surfaces under an overhang (e.g.,considering features present at the time the current window is executed,based on the ordering of windows as described above; not consideringfeatures deposited in subsequent windows); horizontal surfaces; and/orall other surfaces.

Some or all surfaces (e.g., expansive surfaces, such as surfaces greaterthan a threshold area, or greater than a threshold fraction of the totalsurface area; surfaces with highly non-uniform feature complexity and/orsize; etc.) can optionally be further separated into sub-surfaces. Forexample, a surface can be separated such that each sub-surface group isoptimal and/or acceptable for subtractive fabrication using a singlecutting tool (e.g., determined based on feature size, surface gradient,etc.).

Some (or all) toolpath groups can optionally extend across windows(e.g., segments of the same multi-window-spanning surface can becombined and treated as if they are all part of the same window). Forexample, a vertical surface (or, for a fabrication system with more than3-axis control, any other suitable flat surface, such as a surface thatcan be oriented parallel to the cutting tool) can be grouped acrosssubtractive windows, such as by deferring lower segments of the surfaceto later (higher) windows. In this example, a single finishing pass(e.g., with a long cutting tool) can be used to finish all the surfacesegments together, rather than using a separate pass (e.g., with ashorter cutting tool) for each segment. However, the toolpath groups canadditionally or alternatively be determined in any other suitablemanner.

A cutting tool is preferably selected for each toolpath group (e.g.,each toolpath group within the subtractive window). The cutting tool ispreferably selected based on one or more of the following criteria.First, the largest available tool that can achieve an acceptable result(e.g., acceptable surface finish; minimal deviation from specifieddimensions, such as deviation below a threshold value; etc.) ispreferably selected for a toolpath group. Second, the number of and/ortime spent performing tool changes is preferably minimized. When thesecriteria conflict, one can be prioritized over the other, or an optimalbalance between the two (e.g., based on an objective function) can beused. For example, the total time required to execute all the toolpathsof a subtractive window (e.g., including machining time, such asdetermined based on the acceptable feed rate and path length for theselected tool(s); tool change time; auxiliary toolpath time; etc.) canbe minimized. Cutting tool selection can additionally or alternativelyinclude attempting to reduce (e.g., minimize) the total number of toolsused (e.g., for a part or set of parts), which can reduce the complexityof the fabrication system required to perform the method, and/orattempting to optimize any other suitable parameters.

For toolpath groups classified based on surface type, theclassifications can be used to determine or help determine the cuttingtool selection. In one embodiment, cutting tools can be selected basedon toolpath group classifications as described below.

Unimportant groups can be ignored (e.g., no cutting tool selected, nosubtractive toolpaths included). Surfaces under an overhang can beignored (e.g., if the fabrication system is incapable of machining themas desired), or can be associated with an undercutting tool (e.g.,keyseat cutter, ball end mill with a ball end greater than a hemisphere,such as a 270° ball end, etc.). In one example, lower surfaces under anoverhang are contoured (e.g., by an undercutting tool), and highersurfaces (e.g., unreachable by the undercutting tool due to diminishingsize of a horizontal aperture into the region of the surfaces followingprinting of additional overhanging layers) are ignored. Horizontalsurfaces are preferably associated with a facing tool (e.g., square orsquare radiused end mill, face mill, fly cutter, etc.), more preferablya large diameter facing tool. Vertical surfaces are preferablyassociated with a long (and/or large diameter) milling tool, especiallyif the group spans multiple subtractive windows. In examples in which avertical surface intersects a horizontal surface (e.g., with no filletat the intersection), the vertical surface can be associated with asquare endmill, wherein milling of the vertical surface and horizontalsurface (e.g., near the intersection with the vertical surface) canoptionally be performed (e.g., concurrently) by the same square endmill.

All other surfaces (e.g., surfaces requiring 3D contouring) arepreferably associated with a ball end mill (e.g., hemispherical ball endmill). These surfaces are preferably associated with the largest toolcompatible with the features required. In one example, toolcompatibility is determined by determining (e.g., computing) the errorbetween the generated toolpath (e.g., determined as described below)required for the tool and the desired edge of a slice. If the errorexceeds a threshold value, a smaller tool is preferably selected (e.g.,computing the error associated with tools in order of descendingdiameter, stopping once a tool that achieves acceptable error is found).

Based on the tool selections, an execution order for the toolpath groupscan be determined, preferably such that tool changes and/or totalexecution time is minimized. However, the cutting tools and/or toolpathgroup ordering can additionally or alternatively be determined in anyother suitable manner.

Toolpaths are preferably determined for each toolpath group within thesubtractive window (e.g., following and/or concurrent with selection ofthe cutting tools). Determining the toolpaths preferably includesdetermining the feed and/or speed based on: the selected cutting tool,the desired finish quality, the structure fragility (e.g., reducing thefeed rate near fragile features, such as high aspect ratio feature,sharp corners and/or edges, etc.), and/or any other suitableinformation.

For horizontal surfaces, the toolpath is preferably a facing toolpathbeginning at the perimeter of the surface and spiraling inward, but canadditionally or alternatively include any suitable facing toolpath. Forvertical surfaces, the toolpath is preferably a side milling toolpath,more preferably one in which the surface is milled in a single pass. Forother surfaces, the toolpaths can include waterline contour toolpaths,preferably beginning at the top, but alternatively beginning at thebottom or any other suitable height; drop cutting toolpaths (e.g.,toolpaths in which either of the lateral axes, such as the X or Y axis,is held constant while the other lateral axis and the vertical axis,such as the Z axis, are varied to define the desired topography, such asto follow a given surface; toolpaths in which the tool follows apredetermined lateral pattern, such as a rectilinear spiral orboustrophedon, while the vertical axis is varied to define the desiredtopography; copy milling toolpaths; etc.); and/or any other suitabletoolpaths. In a first example, all such surfaces are milled usingwaterline contour toolpaths. In a second example, all such surfaces aremilled using drop cutting toolpaths. In a third example, surfaces withsufficiently shallow gradients (e.g., below a threshold value) aremilled using drop cutting toolpaths, and all other surfaces are milledusing waterline contour toolpaths.

Some or all surfaces can optionally be reoriented and treatedaccordingly (e.g., when using a fabrication system with more than 3 axesof control, when employing manual part reorientation and refixturing,etc.). Such reorientation can function to enable more efficientmachining techniques (e.g., facing using a large-diameter facing tool),to enable use of a smaller total number of windows and/or tool changes,to enable cutting tool access to part regions that would otherwise bedifficult and/or impossible to reach (e.g., under overhangs), and/or canhave any other suitable function(s). In one example, a planar surfacecan be reoriented to a horizontal orientation and then be faced, or canbe reoriented to a vertical orientation and then be side milled.

Determining the toolpaths (and/or any other suitable portions of themethod) can optionally include converting linear motions into arcuatemotions. For example, converting linear motions into arcuate motions caninclude: recognizing that a series of points connected by linearsegments corresponds to a desired arc in the part (e.g., based on amathematical condition, such as that the angles between a thresholdnumber of sequential segments define a second derivative within athreshold amount of each other); determining a smooth arcuate motionthat fits the series of points; and replacing the linear motions withthe arcuate motion.

The subtractive toolpaths can optionally include toolpaths for machiningsupport material. Such support material machining toolpaths canoptionally include finishing the support material surfaces (e.g., asdescribed above regarding finishing), which can improve the quality(e.g., surface finish) of material (e.g., primary material) depositedonto the support material. Such machining can additionally oralternatively include defining molds for subsequent deposition (e.g., ofprimary material). These molds can, for example, facilitate depositionof fragile features, such as tall and/or thin features (e.g., withoutthe need for subsequent machining to define the features, in situationswhere the desired features are too fragile for reliable machining,etc.), and/or can enable patterning (e.g., embossing and/or reverseembossing, etc.) of subsequently deposited materials.

The toolpaths preferably allow for drying of deposited materials (e.g.,such that only dried material is milled), such as by imposing a delaytime between material deposition and subsequent milling. Alternatively,the toolpaths can neglect to account for material drying, canintentionally include milling undried material, and/or can handledeposited material drying in any other suitable manner. Drying thematerial can optionally include a prescribed wait time, a thermal cycle,and/or a mass transfer. In one example, drying the material includes apattern including all three (e.g. wait, heat, blow air, wait, cool). Agoal of drying the material can be to remove one or more components fromthe deposited material, such that material changes from soft to hard,enabling facile machining while the material substantially retains itsshape (e.g., within 0.001″). In some embodiments, drying the materialcauses the layer thickness to decrease (e.g., due to increased materialpacking of the dried material).

All or some of S330 (e.g., subtractive toolpath generation) canoptionally be performed using standard CAM software tools (e.g.,Freesteel, MasterCAM, CAMWorks, etc.), modified versions thereof, and/orany other suitable software tools. S330 can additionally oralternatively include determining and/or interspersing the subtractivetoolpaths in any other suitable manner.

S330 can optionally include determining and interspersing auxiliarytoolpaths S340. Such auxiliary toolpaths can include, for example:drying and/or curing toolpaths (e.g., for drying actuators such as lampsand/or blowers; for sensors such as temperature and/or solvent sensors;etc.); tool maintenance toolpaths, such as tip cleaning, tool changing,and/or tool setting (e.g., automatic checking of nozzle-mill offsets,such as in the vertical direction and/or any other suitable directions);dust and/or debris removal toolpaths (e.g., employing a vacuum shroud,such as described above regarding the system); workpiece inspectiontoolpaths; temperature measurement and/or mapping toolpaths; toolpathsenabling comparison (e.g., optical comparison) to the oversize part,target part, and/or other virtual part; compaction toolpaths (e.g.,including application of compaction pressure to the workpiece); and/orany other suitable toolpaths.

The drying and/or curing toolpaths can follow the deposition mechanismpath, can move along a slow axis of a boustrophedonic depositionmechanism path, and/or can include any other suitable path. The dryingand/or curing toolpaths can optionally include closed-loop controls,wherein drying actuator toolpaths can be modified (e.g., movement ratesand/or dwell times changed, waypoints added and/or removed, etc.) inresponse to measurements sampled by the sensors. The dust and/or debrisremoval toolpaths can include, for example: following the cutting tool;activating a vacuum while the cutting tool is in use and/or deactivatingthe vacuum at other times; moving the shroud away from the cutting tool(e.g., opening up the shroud) in preparation for tool changes, thenmoving the shroud back toward the new tool after the change; and/or anyother suitable toolpaths. The workpiece inspection toolpaths caninclude, for example, controlling one or more sensors (e.g., surfacequality sensors) to sample measurements of the workpiece, and optionallyautomatically correcting defects (e.g., surface voids) detected by thesensors (e.g., depositing material into the void, allowing the materialto dry, and then machining the deposited material to achieve the desireddimensions and/or surface finish; resetting the layer by removing thedefective layer (or a portion thereof), such as by facing, and thenre-fabricating the removed portion, such as by repeating the additiveand/or subtractive toolpaths associated with the layer; etc.). However,S340 can additionally or alternatively include determining any othersuitable auxiliary toolpaths in any suitable manner.

The determined toolpaths (e.g., from all the windows) are preferablycombined into a combined toolpath. The combined toolpath preferablyincludes the internal surface toolpaths (e.g., facing toolpaths), thefinishing toolpaths, the additive toolpaths, and any other suitabletoolpaths. The toolpaths are preferably combined based on the windows,the toolpath groups, the toolpath group ordering, and/or the determinedtoolpaths themselves, but can additionally or alternatively be combinedbased on any other suitable information. However, S300 can additionallyor alternatively include determining any other suitable toolpaths in anysuitable manner.

4.4 Generating Machine Instructions

Generating machine instructions based on the toolpaths S400 preferablyfunctions to generate instructions that can be executed by thefabrication system (e.g., resulting in fabrication of the target part).S400 can be part of and/or performed concurrently with S300 (e.g.,wherein the toolpaths are directly generated as G-Code representationsand/or other machine instructions), performed after (e.g., in responseto) performance of S300 (e.g., generating machine instructions, such asG-Code, based on the toolpaths determined in S300, and/or performed withany other suitable timing. However, the machine instructions canadditionally or alternatively be generated in any other suitable manner.

4.5 Fabricating the Part

Fabricating the target part based on the machine instructions S500preferably includes controlling the fabrication system based on theinstructions. For example, S500 preferably includes providing themachine instructions to the fabrication system. S500 is preferablyperformed following S400 (e.g., in response to S400; after S400 and inresponse to a trigger, such as a part fabrication request; etc.) but canadditionally or alternatively be performed with any other suitabletiming. S500 can include fabricating one or more copies of the targetpart using one or more fabrication systems.

S500 can optionally include adjusting fabrication system operation basedon calibration information (e.g., information determined in S600, etc.)and/or sensor measurements. For example, the vertical and/or lateralposition of the deposition mechanism and/or cutting tool (e.g., relativeto the workpiece) can be altered based on the calibration informationand/or sensor measurements (e.g., to compensate for undesired changesarising from fabrication system imperfections). The sensor measurementscan include measurements associated with fabrication system state (e.g.,information associated with the calibration information, such astemperatures, loads, forces, etc.; direct calibration measurements, suchas laser measurement devices and/or other sensors monitoring theposition of anchor points of the fabrication system, paste depositionmeasurements, such as weight and/or visual measurements; etc.), partstate (e.g., part quality inspection, such as described above), and/orany other suitable information. However, S500 can additionally oralternatively include fabricating the target part in any other suitablemanner.

4.6 Calibrating the Fabrication System

Calibrating the fabrication system Shoo preferably functions todetermine calibration information associated with the fabricationsystem. The calibration information can include, for example, actualpositions of and/or distances between elements of the fabrication systemunder a variety of conditions, such as different temperatures, loads,forces, controlled element positions (e.g., nominal positions, positionsmeasured by sensors such as encoders, etc.), and/or any other suitableparameters. S600 is preferably performed before S500 (e.g., upon initialfabrication system commissioning), but can additionally or alternativelybe performed substantially concurrent with S500 and/or with any othersuitable timing.

In one example, calibrating the fabrication system S600 includesmeasuring known flat surfaces (e.g., granite blocks, thin precisionmetal plates, etc.), such as using contact and/or non-contact metrologytools, over a representative set of machine states (e.g., temperatures,loads, forces, controlled positions, etc.) to determine the compensationinformation. During part fabrication, the measured calibrationinformation can be interpolated (and/or extrapolated) to determinecalibration information for the actual (e.g., measured) fabricationsystem conditions. However, S600 can additionally or alternativelyinclude calibrating the fabrication system in any other suitable manner,and the method can additionally or alternatively include any othersuitable method elements.

Although omitted for conciseness, the preferred embodiments includeevery combination and permutation of the various system components andthe various method processes. Furthermore, various processes of thepreferred method can be embodied and/or implemented at least in part asa machine configured to receive a computer-readable medium storingcomputer-readable instructions. The instructions are preferably executedby computer-executable components preferably integrated with the system.The computer-readable medium can be stored on any suitable computerreadable media such as RAMs, ROMs, flash memory, EEPROMs, opticaldevices (CD or DVD), hard drives, floppy drives, or any suitable device.The computer-executable component is preferably a general or applicationspecific processing subsystem, but any suitable dedicated hardwaredevice or hardware/firmware combination device can additionally oralternatively execute the instructions.

The FIGURES illustrate the architecture, functionality and operation ofpossible implementations of systems, methods and computer programproducts according to preferred embodiments, example configurations, andvariations thereof. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or blockdiagrams may represent a module, segment, step, or portion of code,which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in somealternative implementations, the functions noted in the block can occurout of the order noted in the FIGURES. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or theblocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending uponthe functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detaileddescription and from the figures and claims, modifications and changescan be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope of this invention defined in the followingclaims.

We claim:
 1. A method for facilitating part fabrication, comprising:determining a virtual part based on an original part; scaling thevirtual part by a predetermined amount; and based on the virtual part,determining an ordered series of toolpaths, the ordered seriescomprising: a first additive toolpath for depositing a first layer of apart; a second additive toolpath for depositing a second layer of thepart adjacent to the first layer after depositing the first layer,wherein the second additive toolpath forms a dilated shape by tracing adilation tool along a surface of the first layer, wherein the dilationtool comprises a size between 5% and 75% of a deposition width, whereinthe dilated shape is a union of the first layer and the second layer,wherein the second layer comprises a volume traced by the dilation tool,wherein the surface of the first layer is moved inward by a fixeddistance that is less than the size of the dilation tool; and a firstsubtractive toolpath for removing a portion of the second layer afterdepositing the second layer.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thepredetermined amount is selected to compensate for effects of apost-fabrication process.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein scaling thevirtual part comprises scaling up the virtual part by an amount between5% and 75% of a dimension of the original part.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein scaling the virtual part comprises scaling the virtual partby an amount between 5 and 75 μm larger than a dimension of the originalpart.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein scaling the virtual part by thepredetermined amount comprises scaling the virtual part by a firstamount in a first direction and by a second amount in a seconddirection.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first amount isdistinct from the second amount.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: generating machine instructions based on the ordered seriesof toolpaths; fabricating the part based on the machine instructions;sintering the part to generate a sintered part comprising an oversizedvolume, wherein the oversized volume is based on the predeterminedamount; and removing the oversized volume from the sintered part.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein fabricating the part comprises: depositing ametal paste substantially along the first, second, and third additivetoolpaths, wherein the metal paste comprises a scaffold metal and aninfiltrant metal; and wherein the predetermined amount compensates forshrinkage of at least one of the scaffold metal and the infiltrant metalresulting from sintering the part.
 9. The method claim 1, wherein theordered series of toolpaths further comprises: a drying toolpath fordrying the first layer before adding the second layer.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the ordered series of toolpaths further comprises anerosion toolpath for eroding the dilated first layer.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the ordered series further comprises: a third additivetoolpath for depositing a third layer of the part onto the first layerbefore the first subtractive toolpath; and the first subtractivetoolpath removes at least one of a first portion of the first layer, theportion of the second layer, and a second portion of the third layer.12. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the dilation tool isdynamically determined based on the virtual part.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising shrinking a negative part feature with nearzero size to zero size.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising asecond subtractive toolpath for forming the negative part feature.